Let Me Show You
by skinnyjeansbigdreams
Summary: What would've happened if Stoick had let Hiccup go his own way, and talk to Drago? How much trouble would he drag into his and Astrid's life?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I kind of wondered what kind of trouble Hiccup and Astrid might've gotten themselves into if Stoick and the rest of the gang hadn't swooped in to "save" them off Eret's ship. So, here we go. **

"May I?" Hiccup's voice rang out across the quiet ship, his prosthetic clanging off the metal of the cage he had stepped out of. Eret was giving him a look of disbelief, glancing from the wiry rider to his dragon. The rest of his crew was quiet, watching the young man with curiosity. Hiccup had all of their attention on him, and his dragon, as he pulled himself up onto Toothless' back. There was soft murmur amongst the burly trappers as he attached his prosthetic into the Night Fury's saddle. He leaned forward, resting a gentle hand against his dragon's neck, before pulling his helmet on over his face.

"Come on, Bud," he said softly, tightening his grip on the saddle beneath him. "Let's show them what we can do." Hiccup pulled up and Toothless shot into the air, gaining altitude. Hiccup clicked his prosthetic into the highest gear, feeling Toothless roll his shoulders in preparation underneath him. They were one- one living, breathing being, soaring through the skies to impress those below them. Every fear and every stress just faded away to nothing more than an annoying whisper in the back of his brain as he merged with his dragon. Every swoop was anticipated, every spin clicked with ease. Years and years of practice made it simple to understand the animal beneath him, and Toothless seemed perfectly content with stunt-flying. Hiccup set Toothless' tail into first gear, unhooking himself from the saddle.

"Here we go," he took a deep breath and rolled his neck to the side, dropping his arms down to hang limply beside him. His eyes fluttered shut, and he slowly leaned to the side, feeling gravity take over until the feeling of Toothless faded on his legs. Suddenly, he was being pulled down towards the water at an alarming pace. There was a collective gasp from the men below him, and when Hiccup opened his eyes and looked upwards, he saw Toothless barrelling down to meet him. The two met at the same height, staring at one another with wild excitement and wonder. No matter how many times he free fell from Toothless, Hiccup would never get over the adrenaline rush that flowed through his veins, turning him from calm, collected, future-chief to daredevil in a matter of seconds. Toothless' tongue lolled out of his mouth and flapped in the wind, and Hiccup let out a whoop of excitement.

"Yeah, baby!" He hollered, spinning himself in the air until he was staring down with Toothless' saddle an arms length away. He reached forward to grasp a hold of the contraption and swung himself onto the Night Fury's back. The ocean was rushing at them, and he heard someone from the boat cry out "he isn't going to make it!" Knowing their doubt made it all the more fun and he snapped himself into his rightful place on Toothless, pulling up at the last second. The dragon's wings unfolded, stopping right before the almost black water and causing it to spray upwards. He felt the mist against the back of his hands and neck, cool against the heat coursing through him. With a reluctant grunt his dragon slowed down, turning back towards the boat.

Hiccup was met with a sight that made him want to grin like a madman. Almost every single man on the boat, including Eret, son of Eret, had their jaws slacked and were watching him with wide eyes. Hiccup slid off the back of his loyal companion with a thunk and Astrid took her rightful place beside him. She had her own smirk tugging at her beautiful features.

"I told you he'd make it," she said, with a matter of fact tone to her voice. Her hands fell against her hips and she shouldered him towards the amazed trappers. All at once, they rushed at him with a onslaught of questions.

"How did you do that?"

"Did you know he was going to follow you?"

"How did you teach him to understand commands like that?"

"Lads!" Eret's distinct accent rang out above their curiosity with authority, and it silenced them all. The men all stepped aside to let Eret stand face-to-face with the dragon rider. They were nearly the same height, Hiccup only an inch or two taller. He reached up to pull his helmet off his head, his fingers running carelessly through the strands of russet hair. He had his own satisfied grin spread across his face. Eret studied him, giving him a once over before waving his hand dismissively towards the two dragon riders.

"Fine, we'll take you to Drago," he agreed reluctantly, playing it off as if he'd been unimpressed by what he just saw. Hiccup knew better, and his smug grin only got wider. "But the two of you are staying in the hold." He motioned to the metal cage in the boat, stepping back away from them. Hiccup shrugged a little, intertwining his arm with Astrid's beside him.

"I've slept in worse," Hiccup could barely contain his excitement as he stepped towards the metal lid. He pulled Astrid along with him, nodding politely towards the four others who were still awestruck by the show him and his best friend had put on. He nabbed his firesword from the ground and slid it back into it's holster. He reached out to caress Toothless on the head and murmur for him to stay on the deck before climbing down into the dark and dank area below the ship. Above them, he could hear Eret barking orders to his men and the loud creaking of the wooden deck under the dragon's heavy feet.

It took Hiccup's eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness of the cramped room. The smell was overwhelming- a mixture of raw fish and unwashed dragon, and it made Hiccup gag and cover his lower face with his arm. He could make out the shape of a pile of straw in the corner, and there was more dotting the floorboards. The ship lurched and swayed under his feet, and Hiccup reached out to steady himself against a crate. It seemed that the underbelly of the ship was also used as a store room, as crates of supplies for the ship's journey sat on the far end of the room. Dust particles floated in the light of the sun filtering in.

Despite her excitement with him mere moments before before, Astrid's fist connected with his shoulder and he turned to look at her. He furrowed his eyebrows together and dropped his mouth in confusion. His hand flew up to touch his sore shoulder.

"What was that for?" He voiced his displeasure with her, his voice higher than normal.

"You idiot!" She threw her hands down beside her. "You just gave them my axe!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes slightly, pushing himself away from the wooden container. His stomach lurched and he shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. Hiccup had never been very good with boats. Whenever he had to take a trip with his father to another tribe for business, he rode Toothless most of the way there, only stopping on the ship to eat and sleep. When he opened his eyes back up, Astrid's piercing gaze had softened considerably.

"We'll get it back before we get off the ship, don't worry," he grumbled. "We could probably get it back right now."

She reached out to place her hand on his shoulder, steadying the sea-sick Hiccup and brushing his hair out of his eyes. He looked up at her through his delicate eyelashes, the tendons in his jaw twitching as his teeth gnashed against each other. The ship made a sudden movement and he staggered forward, the pounding in his head getting considerably worse. Which of the God's idea was it to make a future chief get easily sea-sick?

"Come on," she spoke tenderly, leading him over to the pile of straw against the wall. She forced him to sit down, despite weak protests on his part, and lowered herself to her knees beside him. She wrapped her small arms around his torso, her chin coming to sit on his shoulder. He could feel her eyes on him when he closed his own, trying to keep his mind off the swaying waters bashing the ship around them.

"What you did was amazing," Astrid's fingers found their way to play with the braids in his hair. He pulled his legs up to his chest, resting his arms loosely against him and pressing his forehead against the leather of his armour- still cold from the wind outside. He took a deep breath and tilted his head slightly so he could peer out at her face from behind his arms. Her gaze rested against those silly braids she insisted he keep in his hair, twisting them and fixing the small cords keeping them in place. He focused his mind of her flawless face, from the slender curve of her nose to the pale pink of her inviting lips. Her blonde hair, shining even in the dim light of the ship's hold, framed her round face perfectly. She was picture-perfect, even in her worst moments, and Hiccup wondered how he'd gotten so lucky to win her over. She smelt sweet, and her eyes were the colour of the exotic stones Trader Johann brought from new and far away places.

He lifted his hand to brush her bangs out of her eyes, which attracted her attention back to him. The ghost of a smile dusted her elegant features.

"No matter what happens, I love you," He whispered the words, afraid that if he spoke to loud her image would shatter in front of him and he'd wake up from a dream.

"I love you too," She rested her head against his. The creaking of the hold opening broke their gaze, bringing Hiccup back to reality. He groaned and placed his head in his hands. He spread his fingers apart, glaring at the man who interrupted their moment. It was the shortest trapper of the bunch, avoiding their eyes as he shifted uncomfortably in the sunlight. He was stout, with the same blue lines running down his chin as on the rest of the men. His fur hood was pulled up over his head, and his brown eyes shone with curiosity.

"Hello," his voice was deep and foreign, filled with both eagerness and concern. "The men- we want to know more about your dragons. I came to ask."

Hiccup nodded towards the area in front of them, feeling Astrid's arm pull back from his body. A sudden chill swept through him and he leaned his head back against the wall.

"I'll tell you what," he spoke with a cold indifference, sizing up the newcomer. "I'll trade you information about my people, and my dragons, for information about yours." The stubby man thought over Hiccup's proposal, glancing over at the riders. His curiosity got the better of him and he nodded.

"My name is Bjark," he stated, shifting to sit down in front of them. "What are you known by?"

"I'm Hiccup, and this is Astrid," Hiccup nodded his head in the direction of his girlfriend, who was watching him with narrowed eyes. She didn't question his methods, even if she disagreed, and sat quietly. Hiccup made the decision to explain what he was thinking to her later.

"You tamed a Night Fury," Bjark's voice sounded awe-struck. "Enough to trust it with your life. How?"

"That questions a little vague," the twenty-year old lifted an eyebrow up until it disappeared amongst the sweeping hair across his forehead. Bjark looked dumbfounded, and Hiccup realized he was going to have to tone down his vocabulary.

"Can you be more specific?"

"Oh, sorry." The other man nodded curtly and stroked his chin while he thought about it. "Where did you find him?"

"I shot him down, in the woods by my village. He was wounded," Hiccup could sense the other man's discomfort and respect. His show with Toothless had left a larger imprint on the trappers than he'd thought. "My turn. Who is Drago Bludvist?"

Bjark cringed. "He is our leader, master of dragons. He promised us glory if we could bring him dragons for his army." Hiccup nodded slowly and ran the pad of his thumb along his jaw, noting the prickling of his stubble against it. He was going to need to shave soon. "Where is your village? Does everyone there have dragons?"

Astrid stiffled at the question, but Hiccup spared her a comforting glance. "We come from Berk," he started. "A village far away from here. And yes, we've learned to live with dragons. Even if it was a little difficult at first." Hiccup was smart enough not to elaborate the secrets of his village, and his interrogator seemed too dense to ask more about it. Hiccup leaned forward a little bit more, folding his hands in front of him and cocking his head. "What does Drago want with a dragon army?"

"To protect the people of the north from the threat of dragons." Bjark sounded sure about his answer, and there was no falter in his speech. Hiccup, however, was doubtful.

"With dragons?" Astrid echoed his thoughts, and when he glanced in her direction, and she was staring at the heavy-set trapper incredulously. Bjark simply shrugged in response.

"He says you need dragons to conquer other dragons," was all he had to say on the matter. He steered their conversation away from his boss and further towards their lives, and dragons. "Your dragons- how do you get them to listen?"

"It's a bond," Hiccup started, moving his hands around animatedly. "You and the dragon, on your first flight, you click into place. Your minds fall into the same rhythm and you learn subtle commands from each other's body language." Bjark was listening intently to everything Hiccup had to say, and it was easy see the astonishment in his eyes. Eret's voice boomed over head and Bjark's gaze flickered from Hiccup to Astrid. Hiccup felt his other half tense beside him.

"You and the girl, are you, uh," he struggled to find the right words. Fortunately for them, he never got to finish that sentence. Overhead, the sound of loud voices started echoing on the deck, heavy footsteps pattering above their heads in excitement. Hiccup turned his head upwards, when there was a loud crashing noise.

Dragons.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two;;  
>Dragons<p>

"Ah, dragons!" Bjark hurried off to climb the ladder to the deck. Hiccup jerked his head towards Astrid, and saw his own fear reflected in her eyes. For a moment, Hiccup had forgotten that they were on a boat full of dragon trappers looking to keep their lives in tact. But once reality came rushing back, he was on his feet in mere seconds, scurrying up onto the deck.

A Monstrous Nightmare was caught in their net, breathing flames at the husky crew while they scampered away from it's sharp teeth.

"Stop!" Hiccup hardly recognized his own voice, the urgency in it mimicked by Astrid right behind him. He held out his hands and the men dropped their ropes. The Nightmare was angry, snapping at them as they backed away. He felt curious eyes on him as Astrid's warm palm rested on his shoulder.

"Be careful," she whispered into his ear. He simply nodded in response, his eyes locking onto the dragon. The dragon was swinging his head around in fear and anger, attempting to claw it's way out of the trapper's net. When it's red eyes locked onto Hiccup, the young dragon rider felt no fear. The only thing settling in his stomach was pity. The dragon he was staring at didn't deserve this- it didn't ask to be captured for some army run by a madman. All it wanted was freedom. It hadn't attacked the boat first, or blown it's fire in the direction of the crew members. It had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"It's okay. You're okay," His sea-sickness forgotten, Hiccup held his hand out towards the dragon, slowly inching closer across the deck. The Nightmare reared it's massive head in his direction, and Hiccup gracefully jumped back. He turned his head over his shoulder, his green eyes never breaking the Nightmare's gaze.

"No sudden movements," He commanded the crew behind him, leaning down calmly to pull his sword out of his boot. He flicked it open with a press of a button, the saliva catching flame. The Nightmare visibly relaxed, lulled into a sense of comfort and wonder by the tiny human wielding fire. He waved the flame in small, deliberate circles, watching as the dragon's eyes dilated from slits into the familiar large, black pupils he was used to seeing in his tamed dragon friends. He lowered the flame to his side, holding out his hand and taking two confident strides towards the once vicious beast. His hand hovered in front of the dragon, waiting for it to take the final step. He let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding when it pressed it's snout against his hand.

"You know, I'm tempted to keep you for myself after seeing that," Eret's voice rang out above Hiccup's own heartbeat in his ears and he turned, scratching the Nightmare's chin. Astrid breathed a sigh of relief and rested her hands on her skirt, offering him a trivial smile from over Eret's shoulder. "You'd be a valuable addition to a dragon-wrangling team."

"Let the dragon go." Hiccup spoke defiantly, lifting his chin up to look down at Eret.

"Excuse me?" Eret grimaced, his voice barely more than a whisper, but still filled with indignation.

"You heard me," Hiccup stepped in front of the Nightmare, as if his wiry frame could protect the giant behind him. "I said, let the dragon go."

In one swift movement Eret had drawn his sword and pressed it to Hiccup's neck. Astrid made a noise of protest and Toothless, who'd been watching the entire scenario silently in case he needed to protect his boy, growled. Hiccup held his hand up towards the both of them and stared calmly into the brown eyes of his assailant.

"You're on my ship, Dragon Boy," The muscular man pressed his knife further into Hiccup's neck, and Hiccup could feel the sharp point practically begging to break skin. "Which means we play by my rules. We're keeping the dragon." With that statement he dropped his hand, turning and stalking off towards the front of the ship. "Put them in the hold. All of them." He glanced pointedly towards Toothless, who snarled in response.

Suddenly there were strong hands on Hiccup's back, herding him towards the hole where he would soon be trapped in. It would seem he skewered any probabilities that they would get hospitality with his large mouth. Hiccup glared into the back of the head trapper, climbing back down into the darkness, followed by their dragons and then Astrid. Finally, the trappers threw the netted Nightmare down. The poor dragon landed with a thump and a whine, before the door was shut and locked on them. Hiccup hurriedly stumbled over to the Nightmare, starting to untangle the nets on the creature. It whimpered pitifully and nudged him with it's head.

He felt Astrid's presence behind him, comforting against the rage and remorse fueling in his chest. His shaking fingers were having trouble with the netting and she reached out with one of her hands, moving his hands off the rough rope and onto his lap. He sighed in frustration, quietly watching her fingers nimbly tug through the netting.

"Dammit!" Hiccup suddenly jumped to his feet, whipping his sword across the room. The sound of it smashing against the wall startled the four others in the room, earning him a scared mewl from the Nightmare and a worried glance from Toothless. His chest heaved with every breath and he fell down onto his knees, burying his face into his hands and pulling on the crown of his hair with his fingers until he felt pain. His eyes were stinging as the guilt spread from his gut, across his body until he could feel it in every piece of him.

"Hiccup?" His girlfriend's voice was soft and soothing, and her hand rested on his back. Toothless also trotted over, pressing his wide head against his distressed rider's side. Astrid's hand moved in small circles, rubbing his back as she slowly kneeled beside him.

"I, I just made it so much easier. Do you know how easy it'll be for them to take dragons now? For their army?" The laugh that escaped his lips was devoid of all humour. "I just condemned so many dragons to a life of being used as a weapon of war, Astrid. I just killed so many innocent creatures." His face found it's way into the comforting nook of her shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of home. She didn't respond to him, instead she just wrapped her arms around him and leaned her cheek against his head. It was amazing, how easily she could calm him just by a simple touch. The anger subsided and he was left with a sickening feeling of guilt as he stared over her shoulder at the dragon he'd just _given_ to the trappers. How many more would be in by daybreak? His stomach turned and twisted, and this time it wasn't the fault of sea-sickness.

"Come on," She stood up, her fingers sliding across his arms as they searched for his hands in the dim lighting. She pulled him to her feet, her lips forcibly turning upwards in the beginnings of a smile. He stared at her blankly, his heart feeling weighed down by a million burdens. "We need to think up a name for him." She turned to look lovingly at the Nightmare, who was staring at them both with a look of concern.

"Is that really a good idea?" Hiccup didn't want to get attached to the beast, only to have it snatched away from them to be used for cruel labour. The entire plan was falling apart in his mind as he stared down the red eyes.

"I was thinking Spike." She squished his doubt. Astrid let go of his hand to walk towards the dragon, running her hands over the horns decorating the dragons head. He purred at her touch. She glanced behind her and motioned for Hiccup to come over, which he obeyed in an almost zombie-like trance. She picked up his hand delicately in her own, placing it against the snout of the newly named Spike. The dragon let out a burst of air through his nose, and Hiccup leaned his head against him.

"I'm sorry," was all he whispered.

* * *

><p>The next twenty four hours were filled with blood and yelling and more netted dragons then Hiccup's heart could bear seeing. In the calm bits he felt like he was going to be sick, stuck in the swaying boat in a room filled with the smell of fish and blood. Astrid did her best to comfort him, holding him close and helping him when his stubborn, shaking hands refused to untangle the dragons. Both of their hands were scratched and bleeding, covered in callouses and blisters from the rough netting and the dragons scales. I the moment Hiccup couldn't focus on the dull, aching pains of his fingertips. As he lay in his straw nest in the corner, with Toothless pressed on one side and Astrid on the other, he couldn't help but wonder if he truly had made a mistake. This plan had been ridiculous. These were people fighting for their lives against a warlord, Eret had proof of that on his chest. And he'd just willingly handed over a night fury. One flight wasn't going to change their views. So he was stuck, putting his best friend and the girl he loves in danger for some ridiculous whim. Maybe his dad had been right.<p>

Astrid stirred beside him, rolling over to look at him with glazed blue eyes. He pushed her hair out of her face and draped his arm over her waist, wrapping it around her. She may not need protecting, but looking at her with her hair falling out of her braid and her porcelain features stained with dragon blood, he felt as if he needed to reassure himself he could take down anyone who'd try to lay a finger on her.

"Mmph, Hiccup go to shleep," her voice was slurred, as her brain was in the state between fully awake and fully asleep. He smiled a bit, resting his cheek on his palm as he watched her.

"I can't sleep. I have to keep an eye out in case Eret catches any more dragons." Astrid attempted to roll her eyes at him, but her eyelids fluttered shut instead.

"I'm pretty sure we'd hear it if they did," she mumbled, weakly punching him in the stomach, "that's just an excuse. How are you supposed to kick Drago's ass tomorrow when you haven't slept?"

Hiccup laughed softly. "I don't think I'll be kicking Drago's ass any time soon, Astrid. That's your job."

"Oh yeah," she yawned, her head coming to rest on his chest. "I forgot."

Hiccup didn't reply to that, and after a few minutes he could've been sure she fell back to sleep. He leaned down to softly plant a kiss against her forehead and rolled his head back to lay against his dragon. Toothless grumbled something and lifted his head to look at his boy in concern. Hiccup shook his head.

"I'm alright Bud." He reassured his friend, moving his free arm to pat Toothless softly on the shoulder. The dragon dropped his head and went back to sleep, his pale green eyes closing and a soft sigh emanating through his body. Hiccup closed his eyes as well and rested his head back against the straw. Astrid's soft murmured surprised him a bit and he looked down at her.

"Hiccup?"

"Yeah?"

"The dragon's will be okay. You won't let anything happen to them." A small yawn escaped her lips and she mumbled tiredly, her entire body relaxing as she fell to sleep. Hiccup bit down on his lip, her words ringing through his ears.

He could only hope she was right.


End file.
